Change

Change is what I needed and change is what I got. For those of you who know me well, my recent move to South Carolina may be somewhat of a shock. After all, I am usually very warm and really enjoy winter. So what made someone who loves the seasons of the north move to sunny South Caronlina? In a word. Change.

For the last year my wife and I have been discussing a move. We have thrown around all sorts of crazy ideas (glad we decided against the living in an RV for 6 months, but it was an idea). We have really enjoyed our time in Philadelphia area and will miss our friends there, but we start this new adventure with optimism and excitement about the new opportunities we have in the south.

I took a role as a Systems Architect at Varrow. You can check out who Varrow is and what they do on their site, www.varrow.com. They are awesome and you should join us at Varrow Madness (just say you heard about Varrow Madness from Rocky Giglio). I am working with a select group of reps and clients to provide IT strategy and tactical guidance and I get to do that with a team of other IT enthusiasts that really know their stuff. The change officially took place at the beginning of August and I am really enjoying the challenges of being in a new place.

This move has really afforded us the opportunity to get a fresh start, de-clutter our lives, and be closer to family. Most of my family has been south of the Mason Dixon line for several years now, and my wife’s family is making the migration, so it was time for us to follow suit. This will be the first time in 14 years that I am closer than 6 hours to any immediate family.

We spent a lot of time praying about this move and talking with friends and family. At one point I remember saying “is there any reason not to make this move?” and my wife replying “it seems like all signs are pointing south”. The Lord heard and answered our prayers for new work for my, a place to live, what to do with our current home in PA, and most importantly a good church to attend where we and the children could grow in grace under sound teaching from the Word of God.

Throughout this transition I have been constantly reminded of the verse from Proverbs that says, “Man plans his ways, but the Lord directs his steps”. For some reason I have always tended to think of this verse in the negative, but this whole experience has certainly allowed me to live out the positive direction of my heavenly father. As we discussed plans to move south, the Lord definitely seemed to direct us all the way here.

To my friends in PA, you are missed. Come visit sometime as the weather is pretty much always sunny and warm. To my new friends in SC, I look forward to getting to know each of you and seeing what the Lord has in store for all of us.